


A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words (But You Took My Breath Away)

by Myoneloveismusic



Series: JayTim Week 2016 [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: High School AU, JayTimWeek, M/M, NO CAPES, Photographer Tim, Photography, lit nerd jason, lit nerd tim, new student tim, soccer player jason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 05:45:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7672393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim once again finds himself to be the new student in school now that his parents have been transferred yet again due to work. He easily finds solace in the photography club that's offered and the advanced literature class he was lucky enough to take. But this school holds some new surprises when he meets Gotham High's star soccer players who also has a thing for books and, as it turns out, a certain blue-eyed photographer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words (But You Took My Breath Away)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Number 4: Photography!
> 
> I'm super excited about this fic. This is another one of my favorites for this week and I couldn't resist bringing back the whole lit nerd trope for both of my lovely sons. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Tim sighed and looked down at his new class schedule. He supposed it shouldn’t surprise him at this point that he was at another new school. His parents had always had a habit of moving around and it wasn’t until recently that he actually considered the possibility that he was old enough to stay in one place and live in an apartment if his parents wanted to continue to move. Until that conversation arose, however, Tim resigned himself to once again being the new kid. Gotham High didn’t seem too bad as he made his way through the halls. It was just another public school in his opinion and he wasn’t going to worry himself over it too much. If it did end up being a shithole, he was most likely going to be transferring at the end of the year anyway.

                Tim passed through the silent hallways. He hadn’t been fortunate enough to make it to his first class on time because the principle had insisted on taking him on a tour of the school before going over the various documents and enrollment forms for the final checks to ensure that he was officially part of the student body. The one good thing that he could commend the school for having was a photography club. He’d asked the principle about it and told him that they would be meeting today and he had every intention of attending that meeting.

                Tim sighed as he reached his first class: European History. He’d already taken a European History class at one of his other schools, but apparently this was the requirement for Sophomores and they simply couldn’t make the switch due to some class progression and curriculum bullshit that Tim didn’t care to listen to. He was glad that he managed to be put into the advanced literature class that was normally reserved for juniors. He’d taken his fair share of English classes and didn’t want to be stuck with people who didn’t care about the class and just shuffled through it. Tim actually wanted intellectual and intriguing discussion for once. He supposed that was always the problem with transferring schools so much. There was no way to find the same progression of material from school to school.

                Bracing himself, Tim pushed through the door of the classroom, effectively making everyone look in his direction. Maintaining his composure, Tim held his head high and looked towards the teacher and put on his most charming honors student smile.

                “Sorry to interrupt, Ma’am. My name is Tim Drake. I just transferred here. I regret missing most of your class, as the topic of Europe’s history is indeed a fascinating one, but the principle had me occupied for most of the hour.” Tim finished his statement by looking as sheepish as he possibly could, as though the whole situation were his fault and he was unworthy of entering the classroom of such an esteemed teacher.

                The woman, Mrs. Libstin, Tim reminded himself, stared at him with wide eyes. A tense moment passed before a soft smile adorned her features. “That’s all right, Tim. It’s no trouble whatsoever. I’m well aware of how our principle can be. Now, I believe there’s an open seat in the back that you may have.”

                “Thank you.” Tim made his way to the back of the classroom to the only open desk. It was settled behind a group of guys wearing Letterman jackets. He assumed that they were on the football team, but couldn’t be certain and couldn’t really care. Seeing as there were only a few minutes left of the class, he wasn’t exactly going to bother with trying to make friends today, or any day really. He knew his time here would be short and there wouldn’t really be a point.

                Tim sat back in his chair and listened to Mrs. Libstin go through the rest of the class. He guessed she’d already gone over the syllabus and said that textbooks would be handed out the following day. She also went over the topics that would be covered over the course of the year and all of Tim’s suspicions were confirmed that it was all information he’d learned before. At least for him, this would be a relatively easy course and he could focus on other things, namely, photography.

                Libstin finished her introduction just as the bell rang. Tim stood quickly and slung his bag over his shoulder. He was the first one out of the room and joined the other students as the throng in the hallway continued to grow. Tim weaved through the crowd easily since he wasn’t trying to meet up or stay together with a group of friends. He looked down at his schedule again, running through the list of classes. This was going to be a long day and he’d have to suffer through everything else before making it to advanced literature.

                Chemistry, German, and Computer Science all came and went before Tim made it to lunch. Lunch was the usual song and dance that came with being the new kid. Tim just found a quiet corner to himself and pulled out a book. It was a copy of _Tess of the D’Urbervilles_. He was supposed to read the novel during his literature class last year, but they didn’t have time for it, not that that was stopping him. It was one of the few on the list that he’d been really looking forward to finally reading.

                Tim made it through lunch in peaceful silence without anyone interrupting him. Not that they would on the first day. Everyone else was probably too busy catching up with their friends to even notice that there was a new kid, but Tim was sure as hell going to capitalize on being invisible as much as possible. He’d outmaneuvered the group of football players in his first class, but that didn’t mean they’d turn their attention towards him soon enough.

                After lunch, Tim had Algebra II and his open study hall wherein he did the same thing that he did at lunch. The other students chatted with their friends since it was still the first day and there wasn’t any homework yet so no one was frantically completing the assignments that they’d forgotten about. Tim became so lost in his book that he didn’t realize how much time had passed when the bell rang. He picked up his backpack and grinned, finally getting to go the class that he was most looking forward to.

                Tim’s study hall was close to his last class and he ended up being one of the first students there. He looked around at the available seats and decided on one that was a bit further back, but not too far back. He didn’t want to seem disinterested in the class, but he also didn’t want to be in the front row. People thinking he was some uptight and snobby rich kid was the last thing that he needed.

                “Ah, Mr. Drake, I presume?” Tim looked up and found the teacher standing over him.

                “Yes.”

                The teacher stuck out his hand. “I am Mr. O’Brian. I’m pleased to welcome you to my class. It’s not every day that we’re lucky enough to have a sophomore joining us.”

                Tim took the offered hand. “Thank you, sir.”

                O’Brian spotted the book that Tim had carried in with him. “Ah, _Tess of the D’Urbervilles._ A mighty fine read and that’s actually the first book we’ll be discussing this semester.”

                Tim grinned. “Excellent! We didn’t have time to go over it in my class last year and I wanted to read it so I thought I’d go through it myself. I’m glad that I’ll be able to hear other’s opinions about it.”

                O’Brian nodded at him and smiled, making his way back to his desk. Tim watched as the other students filed into the classroom. Most of them didn’t look too excited to be there, but Tim assumed that was because it had more to do with the first day of school than the class itself.

                Just before the bell rang, this guy wearing a letterman jacket that was similar to the group in his history class hustled in. Tim would’ve never taken him for the book type, but he looked genuinely happy to be there. He looked at the white stripe of hair coming from his forehead curiously, but didn’t question it. Strangely enough, it made him look even more attractive than Tim would’ve thought possible. He had to tear his eyes away as the other man turned in his direction.

                The last available seat in the classroom was next to Tim and was now being occupied by the handsome stranger. O’Brian started class by handing out syllabi. When Tim received his he scanned over the list of works they’d be studying. It looked as though they would be having a poetry unit as well. Tim pouted at that. He wasn’t the strongest with poetry, but he supposed he could muddle through. He was also pleased that he hadn’t read many of the required readings for the year which would make this his most interesting class.

                Tim heard a disgruntled sigh come from next to him and he found his new neighbor looking at the list with a forlorn expression. He didn’t know what the other student’s problem was with the required readings, but he wasn’t about to let his dislike of the class get in the way of his own enjoyment. Tim turned his attention back to his own desk and looked forward as O’Brian started speaking about the requirements for the class. He was only partially listening, his mind moving forward to the photography club meeting after school.

                As Tim walked out of the classroom he thought he’d like O’Brian as a teacher. He was a pretty cool guy and seemed to know his stuff even though they hadn’t done any work yet. He also considered that guy who had taken the seat next to him. He wasn’t exactly sure what his deal was, but it wasn’t his problem. As long as the guy didn’t harp on everyone else or the class itself, Tim didn’t really care.

                He moved against the flow of traffic that was headed out of the school and instead went towards the journalism classroom. The principle had said that the photography club met in there and the dark room was located there as well so it was convenient for both the club and the newspaper to have access to the photos that were printed. When he reached the room he saw a small group inside already. Tim took a breath and pushed the door open.

                Someone on the edge of the group looked up and smiled. “How can we help you?”

                Tim smiled back. “Hi, I’m Tim. I’m a new student actually and I’d really like to join the photography club.”

                “Great! I’m Collin. We don’t get many new people looking to join. Do you have a portfolio or something we could look at?”

                Tim blinked, a little surprised by the question. “Yeah. Do you mind if I use one of those computers?” he asked, pointing to the row of desktops lined against the wall.

                “Go for it.”

                Tim strode over to one of the computers and opened up a web browser. He logged into his private account where he stored his pictures online. He looked over his shoulder and waved Collin over. The teen brought the other members of the group with him and sat in the chair while Tim stood to the side. He watched as they all examined his various galleries that he’d composed of the different places he’d lived and trips he’d taken. Some were more nature oriented, while others were snapshots of daily life. Whenever his family moved to a particularly big city, Tim always liked to go out and see what small things he could capture from people. It was always exciting when a bright spark of happiness was frozen forever through his lens.

                “Wow…Tim…these are like, really good.” Collin looked over his shoulder and up at Tim.

                Tim felt himself flush and rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. “They’re not that good.”

                “Bullshit!” Tim looked over at one of the girls in the group, startled. “My name’s Cat, by the way, but Collin’s right, these are fantastic!”

                Murmurs broke out among the other members of the club and they all nodded and smiled at Tim. Collin stood from his place at the computer.

                “I think it’s safe to say that we all want you in the club after seeing your stuff. If you’re available Friday afternoon, we have something that you could work on.”

                Tim nodded. “Yeah, I’d love to. What is it?”

                Collin walked over to where the group had originally been and hopped up so he was sitting on the counter of the large table. “There’s a men’s soccer game on Friday and it’d really help us out if you could go and take pictures of the game. Soccer is a huge sport here at Gotham High, mainly because they have such a good track record and a killer team, so it’s packed and the newspaper always does features on the game results. Since we’re the photography club we partner with the school newspaper and get photos for them to use in their editions and that’s what you’d be doing Friday.”

                “That sounds really great actually.”

                “Excellent.” Collin smiled. “Now, do you have your own equipment that you’d like to use or do you want to borrow the club’s?”

                “I prefer my own equipment,” Tim said, walking over to the table with the rest of the group. Collin nodded his understanding before bringing the club back to what it was discussing before Tim came in.

                Tim fell in easily with the group. They were all very friendly and good-natured people. He was really glad that he came and thought maybe he’d actually like it here if this is what he got to do every week.

 

~

 

                Tim’s week passed pretty much how he expected it to. Most of the classes that he was in were far from challenging, either because the curriculum itself wasn’t difficult, or because he’d already learned the information and it was basically review. He did learn that the group who sat around him in European History were not football players, but soccer players. Tim hadn’t really talked to them much and didn’t know their names, but he overhead them discussing the sport as well as the upcoming game on Friday multiple times.

                Tim’s literature class was going really well, too. O’Brian was already giving them reading assignments for _Tess of the D’Urbervilles,_ most of which Tim had already covered by himself. He did his best to pull back on his reading to stay at the same point as the rest of the class, but he always managed to be a chapter or two ahead. Not that he mentioned that during class discussions, though.

                Tim also received a startling surprise from the guy that had taken the desk next to him on his first day. Jason, as he’d come to know him, was also on the soccer team. The fact that he was athletic wasn’t surprising. The guy was built like an absolute machine and Tim suspected that he was probably one of the star players for the school. And, he was undeniably, and undoubtedly, a lit geek, just like Tim.

                Every class during the discussion over the previous night’s assigned reading, Jason participated. Tim did as well because he enjoyed the material and had several opinions and ideas about the various characters and themes. But it was how Jason participated that left Tim in absolute awe. The other students would often mumble small observations or short sentences, both willingly and unwillingly, and as a result of their own desire for participation or after being prompted with a question. Jason was a force of nature when he spoke up.

                The teen got this look of absolute passion when he was speaking. His blue eyes lit up and he smiled, oftentimes making large and ecstatic gestures with his hands. He would even turn to his neighbors while he was taking, just seeking to find someone else in agreement with him or prompt more discussion. Jason wanted to share his excitement with everyone. Tim always felt slightly embarrassed when Jason turned to him. He felt as though some of his classmates looked down on him for being a year younger, but Jason just genuinely wanted to have a conversation about the material.

                Tim’s favorite moments were probably when the two of them actually got into discussions. He could always tell that the other students were rolling their eyes at the two of them, but Tim couldn’t help the fact that they bounced ideas off of each other so well and were capable of teasing a deeper meaning from the work than some of their other classmates are willing to do.

                They were in the middle of one such discussion when O’Brian broke in.

                “All right boys,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m going to have to cut you off there. We can pick this up again on Monday. Be sure to do the assigned reading on the board and have a good afternoon at the soccer game.”

                The bell rang and Tim packed up his backpack. He walked out of the room, trailing behind several groups of people and turned in the direction of his locker. Everyone else was hurrying out of the building and in the direction of the soccer field. Tim ignored them all and stopped in front of his locker, inputting the combination. He pulled open the locker door and took out his camera bag. He shut his locker after draping the bag’s strap over his shoulder and followed the last remainders of the crowd out of the building.

                The soccer pitch wasn’t too far from the school and Tim made it there fairly quickly. He dropped his backpack near a tree further off the sidelines and knelt down to unpack his camera bag. Tim pulled out his Nikon and the lens attachment, clipping the pieces together. He threw the strap over his head and stood, observing the movements across the field.

                The opposing teams were running through their warm-ups, allowing Tim to walk around the sidelines and look for places that would offer good shots. He found some promising areas around the corner flags as well as just off center of mid-field. He was even willing to risk a ball to the face for a shot taken behind the goal. When Tim walked past the player benches he received a few curious looks from the players from his school. They probably recognized him as being the new kid, but they didn’t address him at all, not that it surprised him.

                Tim turned back to the players as it looked like they were finishing warm-ups. He took a spot at mid-field and waited as everyone got in position on the field for kickoff. Tim’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of Jason taking center field. His body rippled with power, and Tim was unashamed that his eyes were drawn to how perfectly the white and gold striped kit clung to his form in all the right ways. The sleeves of his shirt were pulled taught around his muscles and his shorts stretched dangerously around his thighs.

                Tim swallowed thickly and hastily raised his camera, looking through the viewfinder. He snapped several pictures in quick succession of the two forwards. Jason was holding himself up and showing off every bit of his height possible. A smirk adorned his face as he waited for the whistle from the ref for him to take the ball and start the game. The other forward had only three-quarters of Jason’s height and Tim thought he was trying desperately to not look intimidated. It wasn’t working.

                The whistle sounded and Jason was off, passing the ball back towards his teammates. Tim began moving along the sidelines, following the movements of their school’s players. He really didn’t know much about soccer, but felt like he had enough information to at least know when to grab key shots that could be useful.

                At the 38th minute, Tim saw Jason and one of the midfielders make a break. Tim ran down the sideline ahead of them and took up a place next to the goal. He watched through his camera as Jason passed to his center-mid and made it behind the pack of defensemen. The center-mid lobbed a pass over their heads towards Jason. Jason took the ball to his chest and moved towards the goal. He brought his right leg back and sent one soaring into the upper left corner of the goal just past the keeper’s fingertips.

                The stands erupted with cheers and Tim watched as Jason’s teammates came over to congratulate him. He got several more shots of the victory celebrations and sat back on his heels with a smile as the players took up their positions at mid-field once again for the last minute of play in the first half. The opposing team got control of the ball, but didn’t manage to make any headway during the last few seconds.

                During half-time, Tim watched as the teams returned to their benches. The groups huddled around their coaches and went over strategies and how to proceed during the second half of play. Tim walked diagonally across the field from where he’d placed himself near the goal. He knelt down on the opposite side of the sideline and was closer to the opposing team than his own, but he used the distance and indulged himself a bit, taking shots of the group and even the players on the bench.

                Distracted by what he was doing, Tim didn’t even notice the other team break apart and make for the opposite side of the field they’d started on. If he was paying attention, he would’ve seen the dirty looks that the first few players had shot his way. It wasn’t until someone shoved into him and sent him sprawling that he looked up. One of the other team’s players was standing over him with his hands balled into fists.

                Tim gingerly picked up his camera and checked it over for any damage. “Can I help you?” he asked, getting to his feet.

                “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” he snarled.

                “I don’t follow.”

                “You were obviously spying on what we were saying during the break.”

                Tim gave the teen a look that said he was questioning his intelligence. He held up his camera. “It was obvious that I was taking pictures.”

                He shoved Tim who stumbled back. “That’s bullshit!”

                “Hey!” Tim looked over and saw Jason hurrying over to them, with the rest of the team following closely behind. He looked the other player up and down and crossed his arms. “What’s going on, here?”

                “What’s going on here? You obviously had this sneak,” the other player said, pointing to Tim, “spying on us during the break.”

                Jason glanced over at Tim and stepped in front of him. “He was definitely _not_ spying on you and we don’t need someone to spy for us if the score’s anything to go by.”

                The other guy snarled. “Whatever.” Tim watched as he turned and stalked back to his teammates.

                Jason turned to Tim. “You alright?”

                Tim stared at him for a minute before his brain started working again. “Yeah, I’m good. My camera’s okay so it’s no big deal.”

                Jason frowned at that, but gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Just stay behind the sidelines and away from those jerks.”

                Tim nodded and walked back to his place on the side of the field. He watched the game kickoff again without a hitch. Gotham High scored their second goal in the 62nd minute, cementing their lead at 2-0. It gave Tim the opportunity to get more celebratory pictures and he even got a shot of the header that Jason’s left-winger lobbed into the goal after his pass. They managed to hold on to possession for most of the half, but the opposite team took control at the 75th minute. It was a pretty lucky breakaway if Tim was being honest, but it did lead the opponents to score in the 77th minute.

                After the opposing team scored, Tim visibly saw a change in Jason. He seemed to get his second wind and there was a passion there that had waned over the course of the match from exhaustion. As soon as he got the ball back he and his teammates kept it for the last three minutes. They didn’t manage to score again, but Tim was in awe of the fire and dedication that seemed to be consuming Jason and driving his movements. Tim thought those last pictures were some of the best he’d gotten all game.

                As the final whistle sounded, Tim walked back to where he’d left his stuff, not bothering with watching the post-game handshakes and exchanges. He pulled out his memory card as he was packing up his camera and set it aside. Tim slipped on his backpack and picked up his camera case, making his way back towards the school, memory card clutched tightly in his hand. Collin had told him that there would be someone there from the newspaper to take his card to go through the pictures. Tim felt a little bad for whoever it was having to stay so late to get things written and finalized for the copy of the paper that would be released Monday. No doubt there would be a lot of talk about the game and everyone would be waiting to talk about the win even more than they already would be.

                Tim walked through the empty halls of the school and pushed open the door to the newspaper room when he reached it. Before he could even mutter a hello or look up, a package of paper hit him in the face.

                “Ow…” he hissed, rubbing at his forehead. Tim looked up to find a girl looking over her shoulder at him with an expression of horror on her face.

                “Shit! Sorry! I didn’t realize anyone was coming in behind me. You must be Tim. I’m Stephanie, but you can call me Steph.” She walked over to Tim and picked up the package of paper that had just made contact with his face in a not-so-friendly manner.

                “Nice to meet you, Steph.” He held out his memory card. “I have the pictures from today’s game.

                “Awesome! I actually just got back here from the game myself and was working on writing the lead story about it.”

                Tim smiled. “So throwing paper is actually how you write a journalism piece. If you hit the paper hard enough, do the words magically appear, printed and ready to go?”

                Steph glared at him and snatched the memory card out of his hands. “Shut up. You obviously don’t know the woes of being a journalist.”

                “Obviously.”

                Steph sighed and looked over her shoulder at the table covered with various pieces of paper, printed and unprinted alike. “I’d say you’re welcome to stay and hang out, but I won’t be much of a conversationalist while I work on getting all of this done. I can have your memory card back to you on Monday though.”

                “Sure thing. It’s no problem at all.” Tim turned and headed back towards the door.

                “See you later, Tim!” Steph called after him.

                Tim just raised his hand and waved without looking back.

 

~

 

                Tim spent his weekend holed up in his room re-reading _Pride and Prejudice._ He used the book as a distraction so he wouldn’t read more of _Tess_ until they got their next reading assignment. So when Tim walked into school on Monday he was completely taken aback by the flurry of activity that was taking up the hallways. He saw everyone running around with newspapers in their hands and waving to the articles excitedly with their friends.

                Tim walked by one of the newspaper stands and picked up his own copy. Upon looking at the front page his eyes widened with surprise. He was expecting a small photo of his being in the article, but taking up most of the front page was Tim’s picture of Jason seconds before scoring the team’s first goal. In the picture, Jason’s mouth was hanging open, his right foot had just connected with the ball, and he was looking up through his eyelashes at the goal ahead of him. And underneath it all, was the photo credit to Tim.

                Tim skimmed over the article recounting the team’s win and saw a few more of his pictures. Steph had used his shots of the other player’s header, someone he now knew was named Roy, as well as the shots of both the moments leading up to kick-off and the celebration after Jason’s goal. The whole article took up a good couple pages. Tim honestly couldn’t believe that everyone in the school was looking at his pictures. It was definitely surreal, in a way.

                Tim tucked the newspaper in his backpack and made his way to his History class in a daze. He took his seat in the back of the room, still thinking about the paper. He felt a little ridiculous at how happy it made him, but he couldn’t help it.

                “You’re Tim right?”

                Tim looked up and found the three soccer players that sat around his desk looking at him expectantly. “Y-yeah. That’s me.”

                The three of them grinned at each other. “I’m Roy,” the redhead who’d first spoken said, introducing himself. “This is Dick and James.” Roy pointed to a black-haired man and brunette in turn.

                “Nice to meet you,” Tim nodded at them.

                “Everyone on the team’s really impressed with your pictures in the newspaper,” Dick broke in. “Especially Jason. Those action shots you took were really incredible.”

                Tim ducked his head sheepishly. “Thanks. I’m really pleased with how they all turned out.”

                Roy opened his mouth to say something else, but the bell rang signaling the beginning of class.

 

~

 

                The rest of Tim’s morning passed easily enough. There was a lot of talk surrounding the soccer team’s win on Friday and Tim was somewhat thankful that he was able to fly under the raider even though his pictures were all over the school. He walked into the cafeteria with every intention of sitting in usual corner when a voice called out to him.

                “Tim! Hey, Tim!” Tim turned and found Dick waving him over. He saw that he was seated with his two friends from earlier with the addition of Jason.

                Tim hesitated after noticing the big group, but walked over anyway. “Hi Dick,” he said, standing there awkwardly with his tray of food.

                Dick pulled him down next to him. “Don’t be shy Tim! We were just talking about your pictures.”

                All eyes turned to him and Tim ducked his head, feeling himself blush at the attention.

                “You’re photography’s really good! Are you going to be at all the games?” Jason broke in.

                Tim felt his blush deepen. “Thanks. Umm…I don’t know actually. I just joined the photography club and they needed someone for Friday so that’s how I ended up there.”

                “Well, they’d be stupid to not have you do it.” Jason broke off and took a drink from his water bottle. Out of the corner of Tim’s eye he saw Dick and Roy share a look, sly grins settling over their features. Both teens scooted closer to Tim and each slung an arm around him.

                “So, Tim. Since you’re new here, anything that you’ve been dying to do?” Roy asked.

                “We could give you a tour of the school of course,” Dick added.

                Tim shifted uncomfortably. “That’s alright, really. I already got a tour of the school from the principle.”

                “Pity,” Roy broke in. “How about a tour of Gotham, then? Have you been around the city? There are lots of interesting things to see.”

                “N-no, I haven’t been around the city much. We’ve been busy getting settled into the new apartment.” That last part was a lie, but Tim didn’t want them to find out that the only thing he’d been doing since moving here was read in his room.

                “We’ll just have to take you then. Jason said you were in his lit class and he knows where all of the best bookstores are,” Tim was distantly aware of Jason choking on the bite of pizza he’d just taken. “I’m sure he’d love to take you,” Dick explained.

                Tim waved his hands in front of himself. “No, really. That’s okay, there’s no need to-“

                “Say, Tim,” Roy broke in again. “Have you seen any girls you’re interested in? There are quite a few cute ones at the school.”

                Tim didn’t think his face could get any redder. “No, really, that’s not-“

                “Or is it boys you’re interested in?” Dick asked, giving him a knowing look.

                Tim practically squeaked and threw a hand over his mouth, not that that did much for the noise that already escaped. Tim glanced up and saw Jason staring at him, open-mouthed.

                “Ooh, we have a winner,” Roy said, donning a Cheshire cat grin.

                Jason looked like he was about to interject when the bell sounded, signaling it was time for the next class. “I’ll see you in lit, Tim,” Jason said, gathering his things and moving away.

                Tim just nodded and watched him walk away.

 

~

 

                Tim went through his afternoon classes in a daze. He did get a happy surprise when he learned that Steph was in his Algebra II class, but he was still pretty out of it when he walked into his lit class and took his seat.

                “Hey, Tim,” Jason said, taking his seat next to the other boy.

                “Jason,” he said, smiling. “Long time, no see.”

                Jason seemed to falter for a second before returning Tim’s smile. “Did you get the reading done?”

                Tim placed a hand over his heart. “You insult me by suggesting I would’ve done otherwise. Getting the reading done wasn’t the problem. It was stopping after the last assigned page.”

                Jason laughed. “I suppose I can agree with you there. I was actually hoping to read more books this year that I hadn’t read yet.”

                Tim’s eyes widened in shock. “You’ve already read most of the books on the list?”

                Jason rubbed that back of his neck, embarrassed. “Yeah. I like to read so is it really that surprising that I’ve read most of them?”

                Tim smiled softly. “I suppose not.”

                Jason stared at Tim a moment and opened his mouth to reply when O’Brian started the class. Both teens turned their attention to the teacher, but it wasn’t long before they were engaged in an animated conversation once again.

 

~

 

                “Tim, we want you to be the photographer for every men’s soccer game.” Tim stared dumbfounded at Collin. “You did an incredible job on Friday and if we can have shots like that all of the time that would be fantastic. The newspaper couldn’t get enough of them either.”

                “Uh…okay. Sure,” Tim stammered out.

                Collin grinned. “Perfect! Also, if it’s alright with you, we’d like to put together a photo gallery online as well for all the pictures that aren’t used.”

                Tim nodded his understanding, still completely dumbstruck by what was happening. The soccer team had another game on Wednesday. He was going to have to see Jason in that tight soccer kit again on Wednesday. Tim was not prepared. Not prepared at all.

 

~

 

                “Are you gonna be at the game today?” Jason asked excitedly when he got to lit on Wednesday.

                “Huh?” Tim asked, snapping out of the daze he’d been in all day. “Oh, yeah. Didn’t you hear? I’m the official photographer for the men’s soccer team now.”

                Jason grinned. “That’s a very high honor. It’s so very rare that someone is allowed to do such a thing.”

                Tim smirked. “I’m sure. So honored. There is nothing else that can make me feel more honored.”

                “I’ll make sure to score one for you today then. For your honor.”

                Tim stared at Jason for a minute. “Then my honor will feel honored. I will have honor honor.”

                “Double honor.”

                “False. Honor squared.”

                Jason rolled his eyes. “More like honor to the power of honor.”

                “Okay enough about my honor.”

                “No, no, no, you’re honor’s important, Tim. It must be protected.”

                Tim looked at Jason, dubiously. “And I suppose that you’re going to be the one to protect it?”

                Jason placed a hand over his heart. “Absolutely. I will fight for your honor with every fiber of my being while I’m out on the field.”

                Tim rolled his eyes. “Okay, sure.”

                Jason just smirked and turned his attention to the front of the room where O’Brian was trying valiantly to get everyone’s attention.

 

~

 

                Tim was screwed. Tim was so fucking screwed. He practically ran back up to the newspaper room after the game. Not only did he have to suffer through eighty minutes of watching Jason run around in a _very_ tight fitting uniform and get _very_ sweaty, but Jason also scored a goal. And when Jason scored that goal…Tim wanted to die. Tim had taken up residence next to the goal to get some shots when he saw them moving the play forward. After Jason had scored, he got the hugest grin on his face and pointed at Tim before celebrating with his teammates.

                It had made for a pretty good picture, honestly, and the newspaper would use it in the edition it released tomorrow he was sure, because it had been the game winning shot. Jason had pointed at Tim after the _game winning shot._ This whole situation was not helping Tim’s crush at all.

                He froze right outside the door of the newspaper. He hadn’t even realized he’d developed a crush on the man. Now that he thought about it, it did make sense. He was attracted to Jason. There was no doubting that and they always had really great conversations about literature. Taking a deep breathe, Tim pushed into the room.

                Immediately, Tim was hit with 110 pounds of teenage girl. He staggered back under the momentum of Steph’s assault and braced himself on the doorframe.

                “Tim! Why didn’t you tell me that you and Jason were dating?!” She took his face in her hands and gave him a stern look.

                “Because we’re not?”

                Steph scoffed and stalked away from him. “Like hell you’re not! He basically announced to the whole school that he likes you, by dedicating his shot to you.”

                Tim followed her into the room. “I wish,” he muttered and froze in his tracks.

                Steph gasped and turned to him. “So you _do_ like him!”

                Tim waved his hands in front of him. “No! Steph listen, I-I-I...um…” Tim sagged, defeated. “I do.”

                Steph squealed and pulled him into a hug. “I am so happy for you Tim! You need to ask him out pronto.”

                Tim moved past her and set his camera bag on the table. He buried his face in his hands. “I can’t.”

                “Why not?” she asked, indignantly.

                Tim looked at the table in front of him and picked up one of the printouts of Jason’s picture that he took last week. “I’m not good at this sort of thing, plus I’m pretty sure he doesn’t like me.”

                “Tim,” she said, smirk audible. “I’m pretty sure that he likes you. I also need to step out for a minute, or ten.”

                “What? Why?” Tim looked up from where he was studying Jason’s picture and his brain screeched to a halt. Jason was standing in the doorway, chest heaving, staring at Tim with what he could only describe as desire. Steph had already slipped out leaving the two of them alone.

                “Tim,” Jason said, taking slow deliberate steps towards the younger teen. “I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but I am certain that I do like you.”

                Tim straightened up and looked into Jason’s eyes. “I like you too,” he whispered.

                “I heard.” Jason’s smile was absolutely feral. “Well then.” He took Tim’s hand in his own. “Tim…will you go out with me?”

                Tim bit his lip and nodded. Jason reached out and cupped his cheek in his hand. Tim leaned into the touch.

                “Can I kiss you?” Jason whispered.

                Tim nodded again. Jason ducked his head, bringing their lips together in a chaste kiss. Tim was not ashamed to say that it was probably the best kiss he’d ever had in his entire life.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated, along with those comments and kudos!
> 
> If you want to come and hang out with me on Tumblr: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> <3 MOLIM


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